View full sizeAttendees walk around and talk to representatives form hiring companies in the area during the 15th Congressional District Job Fair last year at Lehigh Carbon Community College. Express-Times Photo | MATT SMITH

The Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry says seasonally adjusted, nonfarm jobs increased by 1,200 to 343,700 during the month, but it was not enough to move the percentage of unemployed.

Although Pennsylvania compiles the data, Warren County in New Jersey is included as part of the metropolitan statistical area used in deriving the local unemployment rate. Carbon County in Pennsylvania also is included.

The industries that gained jobs in December included leisure and hospitality, which saw an increase of 400 jobs, and hospital employment, which saw an increase of 200 jobs.

State officials say the increase in leisure and hospitality is typical given the holiday season. As for hospital employment, the increase brings the total number of hospital jobs in the region to 19,000, which is a new record, officials say.

Also seeing gains were professional and business services with 600 more jobs than the prior month. But for all of 2012, the number of jobs in these sectors actually decreased by 100.

Jobs in transportation and warehousing remained unchanged over the month, but the state noted in its report that the
15,700 jobs maintained marks three consecutive months of record numbers in these sectors.